Posts by John Staiger (Page 75)
The Company You Keep#3 “Added to the Saved.”
If those who preach: ‘Everyone is going to heaven,’ turn out to be right (which they most certainly are not), you will not hear a complaint from me. There will not be a happier person in heaven than yours truly. I have seen the blackness of my soul and I have seen the mercy of my God; how could I not have faith that Jesus saves? Some of my brethren spend too much time judging others and too little time…
The Company You Keep#2 “Friendship with the World.”
A friend of mine told me of a very unusual church service he attended. He said that there was no sign outside the building indicating who they were or when they met, and that the church building had no windows. But he said that the strangest thing occurred when the service was about to get under way. It was then that one of the men got up and bolted the door. The message was obvious, those who were in, were…
The Company You Keep#1 “The World Loves its Own.”
When old Gordon Scott greeted me, he would catch me off guard if I wasn’t careful.Gordon: “Hello brother, how’s the world treating you?”Me: “Good, thank you, brother.”Gordon: “Oh, that’s bad.”At which point he enjoyed, yet another, chuckle at my expense.His point rang true, and still does. Gordon would often talk about the ‘Gospel of John’ that he would carry around with him in the early days of his Christian walk. The roots of his humorous greeting went back to Jesus’…
Doers of the Word#4 “That Mirror!”
Mirrors are optional in the mind of boys. Having to be told to go and comb your hair or to go and discover the extent of the dirt on your face were jobs that required orders from your mother. Our church camp didn’t have mirrors in the men’s shower block for a couple of years and no one seemed to care enough to comment. James holds up the mirror as a prop to make his point (Jm.1:23-25). His point being…
Doers of the Word#3 “Problems—Moving on…”
The last thing that you go to church for is more problems. Being surrounded by them everywhere you go, it is natural to prefer that church be a place where you can retreat from them all. Ideally, church should be a pleasant, trouble-free, and uplifting place. And let’s face it, if you arrive five minutes late and leave 5 minutes early, the chances are it will be that way for you. But in the real world, you can’t expect it…
Doers of the Word#2 “Evangelism.”
When I became a Christian, I was surrounded by seasoned soul-winners. Their Evangelistic Methods were simple: They did whatever was needed to bring a lost soul to Christ. They also made deliberate efforts to take the gospel to strangers in the neighbourhoods and nearby towns. Leaflets inviting people to church and/or offering Free Bible Correspondence Courses were hand delivered into letterboxes by the thousands. A practice that is probably underutilized today given that precious souls have been won as a…
Doers of the Word#1 “Faith working through love.”
What are your talents?Have you ever been to a class designed to help you discover your ‘Talents?’ Usually sheets containing lists of ‘gifts’ are handed out to the participants to establish one’s spiritual skill set. Though not for everybody, many brethren have been blessed by these. The best outcome being that everyone finds a practical connection between their abilities and how to best use them for Jesus. Often keen workers find opportunities to serve through existing committees and programmes, and…
Starting to Begin#5 “Image…a step up!”
I found myself sitting next to two pleasant young lawyers on a flight in the USA in 1989. When they told me that they were Baptists I asked them if they had read the book, “Twenty Hot Potatoes Christians are afraid to touch,” by Tony Campolo. Even though they said they hadn’t, I was so excited to be talking to two of the author’s fellow Baptists that I said, “The most interesting chapter, I think, is where he asked the…
Starting to Begin#4 “Schooling.”
My father was born in 1911. His school days were served at The Matata Convent School. He would often say that he went to school until Standard six. Which roughly translated, meant that he joined the workforce when becoming a teenager. His attitude towards Higher Education was typical of most working men of his time. Education was judged by its usefulness—that was it! Advanced education was, in his mind, only for Medical practitioners, Engineers that built dams and bridges, and…
Starting to Begin#3 “You, Youth and Missions.”
If old age is called the ‘Golden years,’ then youth is aptly called the ‘Titanium years. ’Its hard to believe that during the years of the bubonic plague that many people didn’t live past thirty years old anyway. Youth was a luxury reserved for the offspring of the idle rich. Everyone else started work as soon as they were physically and mentally able. Today, you and I are likely to celebrate our eightieth birthdays in relatively good health. Youth disappears…